An NHS England spokesman said: "Dedicated NHS staff continue to work hard in the face of a 'perfect storm' of appalling weather, persistently high flu hospitalisations and a renewed spike in norovirus.

The Beast from the East and Storm Emma have lashed the UK with icy weather

"With the severe conditions expected to continue, we ask patients and their families to bear with us as we seek to minimise any disruption."

Dr Nick Scriven, president of the Society for Acute Medicine, added: "Today and the next few days will particularly stretch trusts, with staff struggling to get to work and ambulance trusts having immense problems getting patients to and from hospital.

"A lot of hospitals will cancel routine work over the next few days as a consequence of both of these.

"Overall NHS staff are pulling together and making immense efforts to keep people our hospitals safe."

A fresh wave of snow arrived in the UK this week and has relentlessly swept wintry showers across the country, and they continued in earnest last night.

"With many places facing severe weather it’s really important people do what they need to, to stay warm – especially with the cold forecast to stay for several days.

"Heating homes to at least 18C will help keep you healthy. Also, make sure you eat warm food, move about at home and wear several thin layers instead of fewer thicker ones.

"It may be harder for some people to get out later this week when more snow arrives, so if you know someone at risk, someone with heart or lung conditions, young children or someone who is over 65, please take the time to check and see if there’s anything they need.

"Everyone should keep up to date with weather forecasts so you’re not caught out.

"Staying well in conditions like this can be a challenge, so if you can check on someone whose health may be at risk, please do."

Last week more than 12,300 patients had to wait longer than 30 minutes to be seen after arriving at A&E in ambulances last week, with more than 2,870 patients having to wait more than an hour.

There were 13 cases of ambulances being diverted away from A&E departments last week, while the number of bed closures due to norovirus, or diarrhoea and vomiting, rose from an average of 841 beds to 949 beds closed per day.

There were 20 flu-related deaths in the last week, according to figures from Public Health England, and a further 150 patients were in intensive care.

“For every one degree that the temperature drops below five degrees, there is a 10 per cent rise in elderly people presenting with breathing problems and almost a one per cent increase in emergency admissions.

“Therefore if the temperature drops five degrees there will be a 4-5 per cent increase in people being admitted to hospital.”

As the cold weather looks set to stay for the next few days, here's how it could affect your health.

1. Asthma

Breathing in freezing cold air can make asthma symptoms worse for the 5.4 million Brits who suffer the condition, increasing the risk of an attack.

That's because the cold, damp air gets into the airways and causes them to go into spasm, causing an asthma attack.

Each day in the UK three people die from asthma attacks, according to the Asthma UK.

An attack happens when a person's airways start to tighten, which can leave them coughing, wheezing and gasping for breath.

But there is one surprising way you can protect your airways - wrap up warm in a scarf.

By wearing a scarf over the mouth and nose it can help warm up the air before you breathe it in, lowering the risk of an attack.

Dr Richard Russell, a consultant chest physician and medical director of the British Lung Foundation, told The Sun online: "If the flu virus infects the lung you can get, not only bronchitis, but you can also get viral pneumonia.

"You can then get a secondary bacterial pneumonia, with the infection often coming from bacteria that’s in your mouth and airways entering your lungs.

"Because the flu has led to a suppression of your immune system you then get the secondary infection."

It is these secondary infections that kill vulnerable people, so be sure to be up to date with your vaccines and stay inside and warm.

KILLER POLLEN

BREATHE EASY

PUFFER PLEA

Millions of asthmatics are being told to switch to eco-friendly inhalers

WHEEZE WARNING

One million Brits using inhalers wrong 'at risk of deadly asthma attacks'

5. Allergies

You may have thought your allergies were just during spring time, but cold weather can also make them worse.

But as people tend to spend more time indoors - where there is often dust, pet hair, mould and mildew all year round - they are exposed to just as many irritants as they would be during hay fever season.

And, as discussed above, your airways can become inflamed during the colder months which means you are even more susceptible to irritants.

Weather forecast warns of widespread snowfall as 'Beast from the East' hits the UK this week

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